Kerry Lobel resigns from Millennium March Board

Kerry Lobel resigned from the Board of Directors of the Millennium
March on Washington at the Board meeting which began on Sunday, April
25, 1999. The resignation is effective immediately. She has served on
the Board of Directors of the Millennium March on Washington since
June, 1998.

The following is the text of her resignation letter given to the
Board of Directors of the Millennium March on Washington:

April 25, 1999

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great regret that I resign as a member of the Board
of Directors of the Millennium March on Washington, effective
immediately.

The reasons for my resignation stem from three basic issues,
which have continued to grow over time. First, I have significant
political disagreements with the March call and planning, which
have not been addressed. Secondly, I have grown increasingly
skeptical of the value of this event for the gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) movement at this time. And
finally, I cannot endorse certain decisions made by the Board.
Although I have great trust and affection for each of you
individually, it does not assuage my concerns and questions. I now
believe I will be most helpful to the community from outside the
Board.

Since the initial call for the March, grassroots activists have
consistently challenged us as national leaders. Their concerns
address the credibility and legitimacy of the March and they have
demanded an opening of the March process for greater discussion.
The questions have been on whether to march, what agenda to march
for, and how best to use the tremendous platform and visibility
that such marches provide.

Despite my political disagreements with the call and process, I
agreed to serve on the March Board, believing my participation
could change the course of the process. I also felt that as a
representative of the oldest national political organization, and
one of the few explicitly progressive national GLBT groups, my
voice was needed in the March planning process. I stated at the
time that I would remain on the Board as long as my presence
represented the best interests of Task Force members, our
constituents, and the movement as a whole.

Since I joined the Board, my participation has been challenged
by members and activists with whom we have deep and longstanding
relationships. Individuals from all perspectives have intensively
engaged me, the Task Force staff, and our Board. I took their
concerns to heart and carried them in my work on the March Board.
During my tenure, I voted in the minority on key resolutions on
personnel issues, the naming of the March, and the broadening of
the planning effort to allow more people a seat at the table. I
helped lead the successful effort to ensure that funds raised by
the March would go to statewide organizations, people of color
organizations and other constituents underrepresented in our
movement. However, the Board has largely ignored the fundamental
issues that lead me into become involved: why we should march, the
agenda, and the involvement of the entire GLBT community. I cannot
serve on a Board that will not open itself to greater input and
scrutiny from the communities we claim to represent.

The second reason for my resignation is that I continue to
doubt the value of this March at this time. I honor the value of
our previous national Marches and acknowledge them as having been
political turning points in the lives of many current leaders and
activists. However, the effectiveness of such an enormous
commitment of time and resources at a moment when more and more
energy is demanded of the GLBT movement at the state and local
level is questionable. Nothing so dramatically reinforced this as
the success of Equality Begins at Home.

Held one month ago and sponsored by the Federation of LGBT
Statewide Political Organizations and the Task Force, EBAH was
supported by national and local groups, including the March Board.
It demonstrated the incredible power of investing in state and
local movement building. It also exemplified the real
possibilities for political advancement of GLBT equality in every
state. More favorable bills were introduced in state legislatures,
more allies were reached and involved, more media coverage was
generated in every state on GLBT issues than had ever been
achieved at the state level. Because of its overwhelming success,
the campaign is likely to be repeated in years to come, perhaps
even annually.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has committed the vast
majority of its resources to deepening and growing political power
in every state. The time I have spent on the March Board has taken
away from my important work at the state and local level. I need
to concentrate my energies on NGLTF's efforts to build this
state-by-state movement and on advocating for our grassroots
constituents at the national level. This is the heart and soul of
our work and it requires us to have the courage of our
convictions.

Finally as a Board member, I have had personal financial
responsibility and liability for the non-profit corporation
producing the March. I am concerned that the March is not moving
forward in a strategic manner. I am also concerned that neither
the Board members nor our GLBT community have full access to
information about March management and finances. I can no longer
accept the personal risk my participation on the Board requires. I
hope that my colleagues, many of whom are working very hard and
responsibly, will push for information and accountability in the
planning process.

In closing, I want to assure you that the Task Force will be
visible at the Millennium March on Washington to encourage gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people from around the
country to continue their work through state and local organizing.
They will come to Washington to experience the power of gathering
in their nation's capital, to feel strength in numbers, and to
create a show of force for the GLBT community. We will be
persistent in our efforts to ensure that the energy and momentum
of the March carries to local communities. The financial
commitments made by the March Board to organizations dedicated to
statewide organizing and people of color organizing could be the
finest legacy the March will leave to our movement.

If significant changes are made in the March planning and
organizing, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will gladly
consider rejoining the planning efforts for the Millennium March
on Washington. In the meantime, we will advocate for the inclusion
of our entire community in the March process and for the linking
of our agenda to those of other movements for social justice. We
hope these issues will be reflected in the March planning and
agenda.